How many times have you seen this. It's FREE – you just pay the shipping cost. What is it about the word FREE that internet marketers don't understand?

How Stupid Are We?

My first point is this. How stupid do you have to be to know that if you pay for shipping – IT'S NOT FREE!

Here's the deal. When you pay shipping, that guarantees that the seller will make at least some small profit no matter what happens because they typically charge more for shipping than it actually costs.

But It Gets Worse … Did you really mean to sign up for a monthly subscription?

Very often in the fine print you didn't read because it was sort of a faded gray 6 point type way at the bottom it says that you agree to sign up for a $47, $67, or even $97 a month subscription to some sort of newsletter, and you will continue to be billed every month until you cancel except that they keep any money charged to your credit card before you cancel. So you end up paying that first month's bill even if you cancel immediately after you realize what has happened. So for that FREE CD the marketer makes money on the shipping and again on the first month's subscription. How's that for slick?

Is your time worthless?

Here's my second point. That FREE offer that you only have to pay shipping to get presumes that the time you spend actually listening, viewing, memorizing, note-taking, and otherwise marking your time doesn't cost anything. In other words, your time is worthless.

Alternatively, let's call your time a "sweat equity" investment because you are certainly going to use this information to make $xx thousands of dollars more in your business than you would have without this information.

Bottom Line

No way is it FREE! So before you click that BUY NOW button for that FREE product, give some thought to how much it is really going to cost you. Then you can make a thoughtful and perhaps even wise decision.